DCA history · S&P 500
S&P 500 DCA since 2018: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2018 (106 buys, $10,600 in total) would be worth $20,385 today (+92.31%).
Backtest 1 January 2018 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$20,385
+92.31% · +14.38%/yr
- Invested
- $10,600.00
- Buys
- 106
- Average cost
- $3,993.07
Lump sum, day one
Winner$30,445
+187.22%
- Invested
- $10,600.00
- Bought at
- $2,673.61
- Max drawdown
- 33.92%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$36,381
+243.22%
- Bought on
- 23 Mar 2020
- At a price of
- $2,237.40
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
Over this period the plan was worth less than the money you’d put in on 6.9% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 63 days (to 4 Feb 2019). The worst moment was 23 Mar 2020, when it was down 21.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 14 May 2020. The average cost per unit was $3,993.07 against a price today of $7,679.18 (+92.31%). The cheapest buy was $2,470.50 on 1 Apr 2020 and the priciest $7,666.45 on 1 Oct 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2018 | $1,200 | $1,093 | -8.92% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $2,400 | $2,760 | +14.98% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $3,600 | $4,646 | +29.06% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $4,800 | $7,259 | +51.24% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $6,000 | $6,964 | +16.07% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $7,200 | $10,001 | +38.90% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $8,400 | $13,653 | +62.53% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $9,600 | $17,223 | +79.41% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $10,600 | $20,385 | +92.31% |
Try a different start
Monthly $100 into S&P 500, by start year:
Does the start year really matter? Best and worst time to start DCA or DCA vs lump sum, tested on every start month.
Frequently asked questions
- How much would $100 every month in S&P 500 since 2018 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into S&P 500 since 1 January 2018 (106 buys, $10,600 in total) would be worth $20,385 today (+92.31%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for S&P 500 since 2018?
- Investing the same $10,600 in one go on 1 January 2018 would be worth $30,445 today (+187.22%), so putting it all in on day one came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was S&P 500 DCA underwater since 2018?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 6.9% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 63 days (ending 4 Feb 2019).